Page 3 of Inferno

Bristol was dynamite wrapped in a delicate exterior. Every guy she met fell head over heels for her, immediately started learning sign language, and inevitably got their heart broken.

Bristol was waiting for “the one.”

Samantha told the server, “I’ll have the Mediterranean omelet, no sides, and black coffee, please.”

Bristol rolled her eyes, understanding perfectly what Samantha had ordered. She lifted the menu and pointed to it.

“The lemon raspberry pancakes?” the server asked. “Syrup?”

Bristol looked at Samantha, who mouthed the wordsyrup.Bristol pointed to something else on the menu.

“Blueberry sauce. Got it.” The server took their menus and wandered away.

Bristol signed,What’s on your mind?

Samantha made a face.

Bristol said,Tell me.

Samantha shifted on the bench seat of the booth. Her pistol, tucked in a holster at the small of her back dug into her spine. She might not be on duty, but no way would she remove it and risk leaving it behind. A rookie she’d known years ago did that. He’d been gone from the force two days later.

Bristol signed the lettersC-O-D-A.

Samantha rolled her eyes. She signed back,I’m not thinking about him.

Except that now shewasthinking about her ex.

At least she didn’t have to explain everything to Bristol. Her sister had been there through it all. They’d lived together since Samantha got out of college and Bristol had finished high school. She’d joined the Benson Police Department, where she’d risen up the ranks to Detective First Grade. Intelligence/Major Crimes division. Bristol worked from home as a data entryspecialist, but when she wasn’t working, she was always out doing something.

Her sister had a vibrant social life with clubs and events all the time for the local deaf community. They had cookouts and went hiking together. This summer a group of them had run a series of 10k races as a team, raising money for services for deaf kids in Benson.

Samantha had lost a partner early this year—yet another guy who’d been half in love with her sister. She’d been transferred to Intelligence, where she was partnered with Jasper Hollingsworth, who had shortly thereafter quit to go work for Vanguard, a private investigations company—thankfully before he could meet Bristol. She liked her current partner, newly minted detective Romeo Alvarez, just fine.

He would not be meeting Bristol,ever. Samantha needed him focused on his new detective position.

Still, she was aware her sister thought her life void of any semblance of “fun.” Even if they had vastly different definitions of precisely what fun meant.

No way was Samantha running a 10k.

She lifted her right hand and touched her thumb to her breastbone.I’m fine.

Bristol rolled her eyes and sat back while the server put their plates down.

Samantha said, “Thanks.”

“Anything else I can get you?” The server stepped back and glanced at them both.

Samantha knew her sister’s coffee preference well enough to say, “More creamer?”

“Sure thing.”

Bristol flipped the little dish upside down on the table and removed it, like a cup and ball magic trick. She took the creamer she’d upended on the table and added more to her coffee—untilit was more creamer than coffee. And yet her sister didn’t seem to be affected by the high sugar diet she ate.

It was almost enough to convince Samantha to take up running.

Almost.

Samantha ate a couple of bites, then set her fork down.My new partner is a runner.

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